Chicago Medical School Hosts Mesothelioma Conference

October 20, 2006 - The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine will play host to the eighth annual conference of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) this weekend.  A sister conference, sponsored by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, an organization that educates patients as to the particulars of the disease, will take place at the same time and in the same location.

A press release issued by the university notes that this will be the largest scientific gathering on mesothelioma ever to take place, with more than 150 researchers and doctors presenting their findings and views on the disease.  This is also the first time since 1997 that the IMIG has met in the United States.

According to organizers, Hedy Kindler, MD, and Samuel Armato, MD, this important conference “brings together the leading experts from five continents to discuss all aspects of the disease, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, biomarkers, genetics, animal models, risk assessment, diagnosis, imaging, multimodality therapy, and novel treatments.”

Kindler notes that a new session this year will address people exposed to airborne debris due to the collapse of the World Trade Center.  Recently, a number of first responders and others who spent time at Ground Zero have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

"The number of asbestos-related cases in the United States has recently leveled off," said Kindler, "but the disease is still on the increase in Western Europe and is growing dramatically in Japan."

Kindler suggests that anyone currently battling the disease should be participating in one of the many clinical trials for mesothelioma that are ongoing throughout the country.  "Although we have made substantial progress in understanding this disease," she said, "progress in treating it up to now has been limited. But as we learn more, we develop new treatment options and we now have drugs that make a difference."